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For-sale listings touting spa-inspired bathroom features or entertainer-friendly kitchen amenities sell for more money than expected, according to Zillow analysis

Apr 4, 2018

SEATTLE, April 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --While timing is certainly important, a home's listing description can also have a significant impact on its final sale price. For-sale listings mentioning keywords like "steam shower," "professional appliances" or "heated floors" can sell for up to 29 percent more than expected, according to Zillow's 2018 Home Features that Sell analysisi.

Zillow® analyzed listing descriptions from nearly four million homes nationwide that sold between January 2016 and December 2017 to see how certain keywords referring to home features, amenities and design styles impacted their sale price.

Listings mentioning "steam showers," an enclosed shower that can also be used as a steam room, saw the highest sale premium of all the keywords analyzed – selling for 29 percent above expected values. Other spa or wellness-focused home features like "meditation room" or "free-standing tub" were also found in top-performing listings.

Homes touting "professional appliances" and other unique chef-friendly amenities like "pizza oven," "outdoor kitchen" or "prep sink" also sold for a premium.

"While everyone has different style preferences, when it's time to sell, being specific and strategic with your home's listing description can have a big financial payoff," says Jeremy Wacksman, Zillow's Chief Marketing Officer. "Homes with spa-inspired bathrooms, chef-like kitchen amenities and certain craftsman or farmhouse features are very popular among today's buyers. If you have these features in your home, try to highlight them in listing photos and descriptions as it may help catch a future buyer's eye."

While there are a variety of reasons a home may sell faster or for more money than expected, understanding what's popular among buyers can also help homeowners thinking about remodeling. For example, for-sale listings touting "new carpets" saw no boost in sale price, but listings mentioning "hardwood floors" sold for a 10 percent premium while those with "herringbone patterned floors" sold for as much as 21 percent more than expected.

Home Feature Keyword

Effect(percent
homes sell for
above expected
values)

Most Common
Metro

Steam shower

29%

Chicago, IL

Professional appliance

29%

Los Angeles, CA

Pizza oven

26%

Los Angeles, CA

Pet shower

25%

Denver, CO

Outdoor kitchen

25%

Dallas, TX

Entertainer or prep sink

25%

Los Angeles, CA

Shed or garage studio

24%

Los Angeles, CA

Heated floors / radiant heat

24%

New York, NY

Meditation room

24%

Los Angeles, CA

Wine fridge

22%

Los Angeles, CA

Chef's kitchen

21%

Los Angeles, CA

Craftsman

21%

Seattle, WA

Herringbone or parquet floors

21%

New York, NY

Free-standing tub

21%

Los Angeles, CA

Solar panels

21%

Los Angeles, CA

Coffered ceiling

20%

Atlanta, GA

Outdoor fireplace

20%

Los Angeles, CA

Carrara marble

19%

Los Angeles, CA

Home theater

19%

Denver, CO

Farmhouse sink

19%

Los Angeles, CA

iThis analysis measured how listing keywords associated with different home features can impact the sale price and time on market of a home, holding constant other factors. We analyzed 3.6 million home sales between 2016 and 2017 to identify which home attributes found in listing descriptions are associated with a higher sale price and less time on market. Multiple regression was used to control for the age and size of the property, the year and quarter of sale, zip-code-level ZHVI at time of list (local market cost), MSA-level ZHVI growth compared to national growth at time of list (local market hotness), and county value tier at time of list.

Zillow Research

Zillow is the leading real estate and rental marketplace dedicated to empowering consumers with data, inspiration and knowledge around the place they call home, and connecting them with the best local professionals who can help. In addition, Zillow operates an industry-leading economics and analytics bureau led by Zillow's Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. Dr. Gudell and her team of economists and data analysts produce extensive housing data and research covering more than 450 markets at Zillow Real Estate Research. Zillow also sponsors the quarterly Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey, which asks more than 100 leading economists, real estate experts and investment and market strategists to predict the path of the Zillow Home Value Index over the next five years. Launched in 2006, Zillow is owned and operated by Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z and ZG), and headquartered in Seattle.